1 Minute Reviews- Very Dark movies

“Hellfest” (2018)
A mildly entertaining horror film about a group of teens having fun at the local amusement park for their Hellfest celebration. There is some throwback to the old slasher film style which I kind of miss, but aside from the main lead and the appearance of horror favorite Tony Todd there really isn’t anything special to see in this. (**)

“The Girl in the Spider’s Web” (2018)
Claire Bloom takes on the role as Lisbeth, the troubled reluctant assassin. The look of the film with all the beautiful European scenery and winter setting is very appealing and enhances the style, but the problem with this movie is that story is very slow and deliberate making sitting through this a bit of a slog. The villains are actually more interesting that the hero. It’s not bad, but I liked Noomi Rapace & Rooney Mara’s Lisbeth better. They just seemed to have a better feel for the character. (**)

“Destroyer” (2019)
Nicole Kidman plays against type as a tough former cop who reconnects with people from her past to help solve a case. It’s a violent film that just doesn’t work. (**)

“Assassination Nation” (2019)
Best way to describe this is Mean Girls meets The Purge and that is exactly how its being marketed. I liked both those films, but I didn’t like this one. It’s a stylish hyperviolent mess. Can’t believe high profile actors like Joel McHale & Bella Thorne appear in this in small garbage roles. I pretty much hated everybody in the movie. (*1/2)

“Escape Room” (2019)
A group of very different strangers all with a secret to their past take in an escape room, but when the effects seem to be a little too real and start knocking the participants off, who will be the last to survive? I liked this movie. It’s very suspenseful and all the characters are different and interesting. They try to set up a franchise, but not sure if they’ll succeed with that. Not a bad film for the genre. (***)